Tok Lasam

''Penghulu'' Tok Lasam was a semi-legendary tribal chief of colonial Siglap, Singapore who hailed from an Indonesian island, sometimes reported to be either Sulawesi or Sumatra. Sometimes, he is credited as the founder of the pre-modern Siglap village. His grave is located off Jalan Sempadan in the Siglap neighbourhood.

Biography

Much of the life and origins of Tok Lasam is full of legend and differs across accounts. One account states that Lasam was a Sumatran prince, sometimes named Raja Sufian, who arrived in colonial Singapore. Another account states that he was from Sulawesi and fled due to the incoming Dutch. Yet another account states he was from Pontianak, Indonesia. Some accounts state that he was the youngest of a trio of brothers. Either way, all accounts agree that he was the founder or at least chieftain of Siglap during colonial times.

William L. Gibson theorizes that Tok Lasam might be the same as Abdulasam, who was the chieftain of Siglap in the 1850s and assisted the British in apprehending criminals. Unlike most accounts of Tok Lasam, Abdulasam's existence has been proven through verifiable historical records from the colonial era.

Founding of Siglap

According to the local traditions, Lasam and his people arrived at an uninhabited area of Singapore in the 19th century during the colonial era. Upon his arrival, he witnessed either a solar eclipse or stormy weather which inspired him to name the new settlement ''Si-Gelap'' (which is Malay for "The Dark One"). One account narrates that Lasam fought against rogue pirates attacking the area and successfully captured the pirate captain, which led to him being honoured by British authorities. Sometime after his arrival, Lasam reportedly established the first mosque on the land, Masjid Kampung Siglap.

Tomb

Tok Lasam and his wife were buried next to each other, in a cemetery located along Jalan Sempadan street. At some point of time, a wooden shed stood around the graves. This shed appears in a 1984 article from the Berita Harian. In 1993, the cemetery received an exhumation notice which led to public outcry at the possible removal of Lasam's grave. However, due an inability to remove the ancient tombstones, the grave of Lasam and his wife were left alone while the rest of the cemetery was exhumed. Despite efforts to mark the site as a national monument in 1994, the government did not agree, saying that it did not have enough importance to be marked as one. At one point of time it was also considered to transfer Lasam's grave to the mosque he established.

Between 2018 and 2021 a concrete platform was built around the graves. It was regarded as a heritage site of Siglap by former villagers, some of whom still visited the grave to pay respects. The plans to construct a new community hub in 2023 near Jalan Sempadan sparked concerns for the survival of the graves until the Singapore Land Authority confirmed that the graves would not be affected at all.

In addition to the two aforementioned graves, a grave reported to be that of Lasam's panglima (lieutenant) is located in the same area, having survived the exhumation as well.

See also

*Siglap
* Kubur Kassim

References

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Bedok
Islam in Singapore
Muslim mystics
Cemeteries in Singapore